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June 16, 1936. w. J. PEARSON ET AL MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE l4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 12, l95l INVENTORS M/y/a m f flrion,

72-00243 grown,

4M AT'TOQN EY June 16, 1936.

W. J. PEARSON ET AL MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1931 14 Sheets-Sheet 2 730m 05 rown,

INVENTORS /4 /'///0'm Pearson,

ATTORNEY June 16, 1936. w. J. PEARSON ET AL 2,044,755

MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE 14 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 12, 1931 INVI -INTORS 1 l l l 1 June 1936- w. J. PEARSON ET AL 2,044,755

MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE Fi led Oct. 12, 1931 14 Sheets-Sheet 4' 3 g INVENTORS v il f/fidm J 60r 'ar).,

720mm Brow/7') 4M x am ATTORNEY June 16, 1936. w. J. PEARSON ET AL MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE 14 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 12, 1931 mama; Ema/n June 16, 1936. w. J. PEARSON ET AL MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE Fi led Oct. 12, 1951 14 Sheets-Sheet 6 IVNVENTORS [WW/W77 Pea son,

J1me 1936- v w. -J. PEARSON .ET AL 2,044,755

MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE 14 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Oct. 12, 1951 Z pa VSJ/ M 2 m m WW mwm A June 16, 1936- w. J. PEARSON ET AL 7 2,044,755

MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE Filed 001. 12, 1951 14 Sheets-Sheet a I v 3/2 327 I 5?? 6 520 J40? 200 1 W12, /4 J a INVENTORS June 16, 1936. w. J. PEARSON ET AL- MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1931 14 Sheets-Sheet 9 I 730mm: Emu/n,

ATTORNEY June 16, 1936. w. J. PEARSON ET AL 7,

MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1931- 14 Sheets-Sheet 10 m km mom mm p a/ b/ n N mm:%R

June 16,1936.

W. J PEARSON ET AL MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1951 14 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 Hm jbhn Doe.) E5 1320 Amer-man Ave., New York cur- N. Y

INVENTORS h/////&m Pea/Jon,

ATTORNEY June 16, 1936. w. J. PEARSQN ET AL 2,044,755

MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE Fi led Oct. 12, 1951 14 Sheets-Sheet 13 Maw tw w W a? aw 720/2703 firawn 4km rf/ ATTORNEY.

Jime 1936- w. J. PEARSON ET AL 2,044,755

MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINTING AND VALUE METERING MACHINE Filed'Oog. 12, I931' 14 Sheets-Sheet l4 Patented June 16, 1936 Ui llTED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTIDENOMINATIONAL STAMP PRINT- IUNG AND VALUE METERING MACHINE William J. Pearson and Thomas I. Brown, Los Angeles, Calif., assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to Postal Automatic Machines, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application October 12, 1931, Serial No. 568,378

7 Claims. (01. 235-10l) This invention relates, generally, to meter mail chine a novel conveyer mechanism adapted to machines intended for use by persons, firms, or withdraw envelopes one at a time from the botcorporations having a large volume of outgoing tom of a vertical stack thereof contained in a mail and operating under Government meter receiving hopper and functioning to grip each mail permit, and is more particularly directed envelope and translate it until it arrives at the 5 to that type of machine which includes a printprinting station, at which time the conveyer ing mechanism and an associated value metering momentarily stops to hold the envelope stationary device so designed as to enable the user to purwhile being printed upon, the conveyer then chase from the Government and have set up in continuing its operation to release and eject the meter by a post oflice official any desired the printed envelope and bring the succeeding 10 amount of prepaid postage, and to then enable envelope to printing position; to provide a conthe user to print meter mail stamp indicia of veyer of the suction orvacuum type, comprising different selected denominations on envelopes, a flexible endless belt provided with relatively cards, etc., from time to time as desired, with the spaced suction or vacuum cups, or similar means,

meter functioning in accordance with the deadapted to be placed in communication with a 15 nomination of each printed impression until a source of suction as they successively arrive at a resetting thereof becomes necessary, at which position to grip an envelope in the hopper, then time the mechanism will automatically become to be maintained in such communication with the locked against further stamp printing operation suction source while translating the envelopes until the meter is reset at the time of purchase of and to subsequently pass from such communica- 20 additional postage. tion with the suction source and into communi- It is an object of the present invention to procation with the atmosphere so as to break this vide a multi-denominational machine of the presuction grip on the envelopes as they are ejected selective type embodying in a removable unit a from the machine; to provide perforations in said printing mechanism including a plurality of conveyer belt with each perforation communicat- 25 stamp indicia printing members of different deing with one of the suction cups, and to assonominations adapted to be singly and selectively ciate with the upper flight of said belt a stabrought to printing position at the will of the tionary track, grooved longitudinally to function operator; co-operating impression means as a suction manifold, with the belt perforations whereby impressions may be taken from the aligned with and adapted successively to register 30 selected printing member; a total register assowith said manifold groove, the track being longiciated with the printing mechanism for registertudinally bowed upwardly to maintain a leaking the value of all of the stamps printed; a proof contact of the belt with the surface of the meter associated with the printing mechanism manifold portion thereof which functions as a and comprising a descending or subtracting valve seat, While the traveling perforated belt 35 counter adapted to be pre-set by a post office functions as a valve controlling the suction inomcial to indicate an amount of prepaid postage fluence of the suction cups; to so proportion the purchased from the Government, which meter is suction manifold in relation to the printing automatically operated to deduct from such position as to cause each suction cup to maintain amount the value of each stamp printed, and is its grip on the respective envelope while at the 40 designated to provide a conveyer means adapted printing station; to provide a table so associated to feed envelopes, cards, or the like, singly and with the hopper that envelopes may be stacked in succession to the printing mechanism; a drivhorizontally upon the table within said hopper ing mechanism for driving the conveyer and the with their open flaps hanging downwardly over ps'nting mechanism; and control devices for the the side of the table in shingled relation, the driving mechanism normally so actuated by each hopper being open at the opposite side and so envelope as it arrives at the printing point or related to said table as to accommodate enstation as to cause the conveyer and the printing velopes of various widths; to dispose the upper mechanism to be intermittently actuated in flight of the conveyer belt in a longitudinal slot 00 alternate sequence, whereby each envelope will in said table with the table so disposed as to be stationary while receiving a printed impression support the envelopes being translated by the and the printing mechanism will be operated once conveyer; to provide a moistening device so disfor each envelope presented at the printing staposed in relation to the table as to effect a, tion. moistemng of the depending envelope flaps as Other objects are to incorporate in the mathe envelopes travel singly along the table; to 55 employ a moistening device of the atomizing type functioning to produce a fine spray of fog of mist-like character through which the envelope flaps will pass to properly moisten their gummed surfaces, such moistening device being entirely free from contact with such gummed surfaces, whereby clogging of the device by accumulations of gum scraped from the moistened envelope flaps is prevented; to provide a moistening device disposed beneath the table which, for this reason, protects the bodies of the envelopes from being moistened by the spray, the machine thus being also capable of handling pro-sealed envelopes while the moistener is in operation and without moistening such ore-sealed envelopes, the moistener in such instance being functionally idle insofar as it concerns the productive operation of the machine in this particular use; to provide a sealing device associated with the table and functioning to fold each moistened envelope flap upwardly against the body of the respective envelope; and to provide a means for conditioning the machine for use merely as an envelope sealing device, in which use the metering printer unit may or may not be associated with the machine, and to this end there is provided a means for disabling the envelope-operated clutch-control trip, so that the drive for said unit will remain inactive While the conveyer drive will function continuously instead of intermittently whereby an uninterrupted translation of the successive envelopes past the moistening device, the sealing device, and the printing point, and the prompt ejection of the sealed envelopes will be effected.

It is a further object of the present invention to incorporate in the removable unit a complete printing mechanism including a printing means and a cooperating impression platen, and to so design the machine that, when said unit is asso: ciated therewith, the platen defines the printing station and is disposed within a recess in the table with its impression surface substantially flush with the envelope supporting surface thereof, and the printing means is positioned above the platen and the table so that the envelopes will, by the conveyer, be fed between the platen and the printing means, the platen being so disposed with relation to the normal position of the envelopeoperated clutch-control trip that each envelope will be brought to rest upon the platen to receive a printed impression.

Another object is to provide a multi-denominational printing means having a plurality of indicia printing members adapted to be singly and selectively brought to printing position by manually operative pre-selective means, and to associate therewith a means for locking the printer during the pro-selective manual setting of the printing members so that a printing operation may be effected only when one of said printing members is properly adjusted to printing position; and a further object is to provide a means associated with said locking means and serving to prevent operation of the envelope-operated clutch control trip during such pre-selective setting of the printing members so as to prevent throwing in of the power drive of the printing mechanism.

Another object is to provide a single driving means adapted to drive a suction means for the conveyer and an air compressing means for the atomizing moistener, and to drive the conveyer and the metering printer unit through suitable clutch mechanism.

A further object is to provide a novel means for inking the printing member disposed at the printing position, and to provide a guard means for preventing a fraudulent taking of an impression from said printing member, and means for so operating said guard as to expose the printing member only during an inking thereof and during an authorized printing operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a denominations: value registering means associated with actuating mechanism, and differentially movable clenomine 'ing means controlling said actuating mechai provide selector means adapted to be selectively o erated to predetermine the values to be registered.

Another object is to provide a value registering means having a plurality of register wheels and associated actuatin elements arranged in different denominational banks, and to provide associated differentially movable denominating means for controlling said actuating elements, and selector means pre-selectively operative to pre-set the denominating means.

Another object is to provide in the registering means register wheels of the ratchet type, whereby the associated actuating means will operate through .a differential value denominating stroke without operating said Wheels and will then operate through a denominated return stroke to positively drive the register wheels.

Although various kinds of meter mail mach nes have heretofore been designed for the purpose of printing and metering postage values, none, insofar as we are aware, have contained mechanism capable of handling fractional postage values, such as cent, 1 cent, etc.; and, since it is believed that a machine of such charactor will constitute a valuable contribution to this art and will have exceptional utility in connection th Government postal systems, it becc an Laportant object of the present invention to provide a mechanism capable of printing and metering fractional postage values.

Further, in the previously proposed machines of which we are aware, the meters are so arrange as to lock against further operation only when said meters register zero, thus, in many instances, locking the mechanism before the last operation is completed or compelling the user to have the meter reset While still containing unused prepaid postage, or to look when operated a predetermined number of times.

Distinguishing from such machines, it is a further important object of the present invention to provide a descending meter which may be preset to indicate an amount of prepaid postage, and which may be operated to subtract postage values from such amount until the total amount of prepaid postage has been exhausted and the meter Wheels register zero, the meter being so designed as to permit a final operation in which the meter wheels are turned back past zero to show a complemental figure by which an overdraft may be calculated; to provide an overdraft meter in which the final overdraft operation may be initiated when the meter wheels have been restored to zero or when they indicate an amount of unused postage which is less than the denomination of the stamp to be printed during said final overdraft operation, whereby the actual overdraft may equal the value or the last stamp printed or may equal the difference between such value and the amount of unused postage; and to provide a meter actuating means and an associated locking means for the means controlled by the meter.

Broadly, this meter has associated with it a locking mechanism which functions at the end of the overdraft operation in which the meter wheels are moved back past zero to show various figures depending entirely upon the amount of unused postage remaining in the meter just prior to the overdraft operation and upon the denomination of the stamp printed during such overdraft operation, to lock the meter actuating mechanism against further operation; therefore, it is a further object of the invention to provide an overdraft meter and a locking mechanism associated therewith and so controlled thereby as to function at the end of the overdraft operation, regardless of the final figure indicated by the meter and regardless of the number of preceding operations of the meter.

Another object is to provide a descending postage meter capable of being set to register a given amount of postage and adapted to be operated to subtract different denominational values until the amount is exhausted and to be further oper= ated varying degrees beyond zero to denote an overdraft.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure and which illustrate. a preferred form of embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a complete machine embodying the several features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View, certain portions being broken away and in section to more clearly show the operating mechanisms.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken on the line 4-! of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a detail View showing the conveyor belt with its two supporting pulleys and the vacuum manifold and track which supports the top flight of the belt.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the delivery end of the conveyor, the letter supporting table and the conveyor belt being broken away to more clearly show the construction of the vacuum manifold and track.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged transverse vertical section taken on the line 8-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail vertical section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 10 is a detail section taken on the line !B|S of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a detail section taken on the line ll--ll of Fig. 8.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged plan section taken on the line iii-i2 of Fig. 3, showing the interior mech anism of the metering printer unit.

Fig. 13 is a vertical section taken on the line i3|3 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a vertical section taken on the line i l-l4 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 15 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line |5-l5 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 16 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line lt-lfi of Fig. 13.

Fig. 17 is an enlarged plan view, partly in section, of the descending register or meter, taken on the line Hl7 of Fig. 13.

Figs. 18, 19, and 20 are transverse sectional views taken on the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 17.

Fig. 21 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 2l2l of Fig. 20.

Fig. 22 is a fragmentary detail section taken on the line 2222 of Fig. 12, showing respectively in full and in dotted lines, two positions of the cents wheel actuating elements as actuated in the registering of a five cents value.

Fig. 23 is a plan view of an envelope which has impressed thereon the indicia received in its passage through the machine.

Fig. 24 is a fragmentary detail section taken on the line 2424 of Fig. 12, showing the means for actuating the printer guard.

Fig. 25 is a semi-diagrammatic perspective view of the value selector discs shown in Figs. 12 and 15.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is designed to provide a receiving hopper H disposed near one end of a table T and adapted to contain a stack H of envelopes horizontally disposed on the table with their open flaps hanging downwardly over the inner side of said table in shingled relation (see Fig. 4), so that the envelopes may be withdrawn singly and in succession from the bottom of the stack by a conveyer C and conveyed along the table past a fiap-moistening device M and a flap-sealing device S and fed to a metering and printing unit M where each envelope engages and operates a control trip T by means of which the driving mechanism D, contained in a rear housing R is so controlled that, when an envelope operates said trip, the conveyer drive is thrown out, and the drive to the unit M is thrown in to operate the unit through a single printing and registering cycle to print a metered mail stamp on the envelope and operate the meter in accordance with the monetary value of such stamp, after which the drive to the unit is automatically thrown out and the drive to the conveyer is again established so that the conveyor will eject the stamped envelope from the inachine and continue the feed of the succeeding envelope along the table to the printing position.

The supporting framework of the machine, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and 8, includes a baseplate 59 mounted upon suitable legs 55. Along the front portion of this base-plate there is provided a conveyer housing C having a front Wall 52, an inner rear wall 53, and an end wall 54 the table T forming the top wall of said housing. The housing R containing the driving mechanism D, consists of an outer end wall I00, an inner end wall llll, a rear wall 102, a top wall I533, and an inner front wall H34 which is slightly spaced from the inner rear wall 53 of the conveyer housing to provide a channel 55 (see Figs. 2 and 5) through which the flaps of the envelopes pass as they are fed along the table. This wall MM is offset, as shown at lll l in Fig. 2, and has a portion lilli adjacent the hopper H, which is spaced a considerable distance from the wall 53 to provide sufficient space adjacent the table at this point to accommodate the shingled flaps of all of the envelopes in the stack l-I as shown in Fig. 4. Directly adjacent the inner end wall iii! of the housing R and directly behind the table, the base-plate has a raised shelf portion Sit upon which rests the removable metering and printing head or unit M when the unit is associated with the machine proper.

Receiving hopper The hopper H, which receives the stack H of envelopes to be sealed and stamped, is formed by a plate having a side Wall 56 secured to the portion HM of the inner wall of the housing R and extended outwardly a sufiicient distance to accommodate long envelopes (see Fig. 2), and an end wall 5'! extending across and above the table T. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the lower edge Eli of the end wall 5i! is spaced from the top surface of the table to permit feeding of the envelopes from the bottom of the stack, while the wall 56 extends downwardly past the open flap of the lowermost envelope.

In this hopper, the envelopes are horizontally stacked upon the table 'I' with their open flaps extending downwardly in shingled relation over the inner edge of the table and against the inner wall of the conveyer housing, as shown in Fig. i and, to maintain the envelopes properly disposed in this stacked relation, there is provided an aligning means comprising a pressure plate 58, which is hingedly supported in notches formed in studs carried by the walls 53 and tim this pressure plate being urged to contact the en velope flaps by a vertically disposed leaf-spring 58 carried by the wall 56 of the hopper. To prevent displacement of the pressure plate, it is provided with headed guide pins 58 which are secured to the upper portion of the plate and slidably extend through apertures in the hopper wall 5% and the wall iii-i of the housing R with their heads disposed within the housing. R and serving to limit the tilting movement of the pressure plate.

As will be later described in detail, the conveyer provides a positive feed of each envelope as it reaches the bottom of the stack; to insure the desired one-by-one feed of the envelopes, there is provided a yielding baiiie means adjacent the discharge end of the hopper. This baifie means is associated with the wall 5'11 of the hopper and includes duplicate devices B disposed at opposite sides of the conveyer C, each of the devices comprising a guide channel 59 secured to the hopper wall 5i and having 2. depending finger 5%, the lower end of which is spaced from the table surface a distance equal to the thickest envelope which the machine is designed to handle. Slidable in each guide channel 59 is a vertical ca 59, channel-shaped in cross-section, with its side walls nested within the side walls of the guide channel 59 and providing depending ears 59 carrying a rubber-faced separator 59 which, while preferably of roller form, is not freely rotatable since its shaft ends are, in assembling, riveted over suiiiciently to cause frictional bind between the roller and its supporting ears 59 such as will prevent rotation of the roller during the operation of the machine but will permit a manual turning thereof to bring a fresh unworn portion of its periphery into operating position.

The carriage 59 is connected to its guide channel E53 by pin and slot connections 553 the slots of which are slightly angled upwardly and forwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and a spring $53 connected to the guide channel 59 and to the carriage 59 urges the separator roller 59 toward the table. However, this spring could be eliminated if it is desired to depend entirely upon the weight of the carriage and gravity to perform this function.

In the operation of the machine, the fingers hold back the stack of envelopes while the lowermost envelope is being withdrawn by the conveyer; and, in case this envelope tends to withdraw other envelopes with it, due to friction between adjacent envelopes, such other envelopes will be held back by the separator rollers 59% thereby preventing a feed of more than one envelope at a time. It will be evident that the yielding nature of the separator carriages 59 will provide compensation for envelopes of varying thicknesses and that each device B constitutes a yielding separator baffle which functions as a wiper to retain all but the lowermost envelope of the stack H within the receiving hopper.

conveyer Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be observed that the table T is provided with a longitudinal slot iii] which extends from a point Et within the hopper I-I, forwardly in the direction of feed, to the discharge end of the machine, and with particular reference to Figs. 2 and 4 to 8, it will be noted that, at each side of the table slot til, the metal of which the table is formed is bent downwardly to provide vertical depending flanges 6W. Disposed within the table slot and between these two depending flanges is a stationary track member 5i which is supported at opposite ends upon cross-bars B2 and at its medial portion upon a cross-bar 6-3, these crossbars being secured to the walls 52 and 53 of the conveyer housing. At its opposite sides, the track member Si is provided with longitudinal upstanding flanges iii defining a belt channel 6i along which the upper flight of the conveyer belt 5% traveis, and the bottom wan of this channel is provided with two longitudinal grooves 55 for the purpose of lessening the friction between the conveyer belt and the track, these grooves defining a medial longitudinal rib 6 i which has milled in its upper surface a longitudinal groove E55 having closed ends and extending approximately the full length of the track member. At each end the medial rib 55* terminates in a projecting tongue 6%; i

and, at the cross-bar 53, there is a port i cornmunicating with the groove 5E and with a conduit 65 leading to the suction side of a pump P, which is located within the housing R and which will later be described.

The conveyer belt 64 travels within the channel Kil of the track member iii and, at the hopper or receiving end of the table, is rove around an idler pulley 65, while at the discharge end of the table it is rove around a driven pulley til, these pulleys '56 and (ill being of similar form, each having side flanges 68 to maintain the belt against displacement and a medial groove to to accornmodate the respective terminal tongue iii of the track member 6!, the ends of the track member being cut back as shown in Fig. 7 to afford proper clearance for the pulleys.

Attached to the outer surface of the conveyer belt 64 are four substantially rectangular suction or vacuum cups 64 formed of pliable rubher or other suitable material. These cups G l are uniformly spaced around the conveyer belt and each is provided with a port fi l which extends through the belt 6% in vertical alignment with the suction or vacuum groove M in the 1' medial rib 6i of the stationary track member 6i.

With this arrangement, it will be quite evident that the medial grooved rib 6 i of the track member constitutes a suction or vacuum manifold over which the upper flight of the conveyer belt I travels and that the belt closely contacts said rib to close such manifold throughout the length of the groove 6E As shown in Figs. 3 and 6, it will be observed that the table T and the track member 6! are longitudinally bowed upwardly so that close contact of the upper flight of the belt with the upper surface of the medial rib or manifold BI will be assured, and by an examination of Fig. 6 it will be understood that, as each of the cups 6 1 arrives at the feed end of the conveyer directly beneath the hopper H to contact the lowermost envelope therein, the port 62 thereof will register with the manifold groove 65 thus connecting such cup with the source of suction. This will cause the cup to grip the lowermost envelope, and the continued travel of the conveyer will withdraw this envelope from the hopper and transport it along the table. As this cup passes the discharge end of the track member, its port 6% will pass out of registry with the suction groove of the medial rib or manifold [5i and be in free communication with the atmosphere, whereupon the suction grip of the cup upon the envelope will be broken, thus permitting the conveyer to discharge the envelope.

The idler conveyer pulley 66 is mounted on a shaft iii which is journaled in bearings ll secured to the respective outer and inner walls 52 and 53 of the conveyer housing, while the driven conveyer pulley Bl is mounted on a shaft 772 journaled in similar bearings 13, and, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 8, the shaft 12 is driven by belt M- which is rove around a sheave l5 fixed to said shaft 72 and around a similar sheave l5 fixed on a conveyer drive shaft ll, this drive shaft ll being journaled in a bearing 18 carried by the outer wall 52 of the conveyer housing and in a standard '29 which is located within the rear housing R as shown in Fig. 8.

There is thus provided a conveyor which pos itively grips the lowermost envelope in the receiving hopper and conveys it along the table to the discharge end of the machine where it is released and ejected, with the upper surface of the medial rib or manifold El serving as a stationary valve seat and the belt 64 with the ports 64 communicating with the suction cups E l serving as a traveling valve means controlling the gripping function of the cups by connecting and disconnecting the cups at the proper times with the suction source.

Envelope flap moi'stener The moistening device M is located within the conveyer housing M in position to moisten the gummed flap of each envelope as it is withdrawn from the receiving hopper H and is of the atomizing type designed to direct a spray of water of mist or fog-like fineness against the gurnmed surfaces of the envelope flaps as the envelopes pass from the hopper to the sealing device.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, and to the previous description of the receiving hopper, it will be understood that, as the lowermost envelope is withdrawn from the hopper, its depending flap will pass through the flap receiving channel as indicated at so in Fig. 5, its gummed surface thus facing the inner wall 53 of the conveyor housing, and with particular reference to Fig. 3, it will be noted that this wall 53 is provided with a rectangular opening 8! through which the spray from the moistener is directed against the gummed flaps as the envelopes are carried along by the conveyer.

The praying device which we preferably emiprises an atomizing head 82 having a air supply tube communicating supply conduit 34 leading to the presof the pump P, and a suction tube 85., the lower portion 5% of which is submerged in water contained in a reservoir 86 secured in the base plate so and supporting the spraying device. This reservoir is supplied with water through a conduit 8'! leading to a gravity water supply of the constant level type, and, as shown in Fig. 4, this conduit 3'! communicates with a vented cup member 88 which is supported in a bracket 89 secured to the base plate 5t], and which is provided with a valve unseating spike projecting upwardly from its central portion, and a rubber ring ll resting on its upper peripheral edge. An inverted bottle 92 contains a ball valve 92, and, when in position of use, the bottle rests upon the rubber ring M with its neck 92 disposed within the cup member 88 and the spike projected into the bottle to unseat the ball valve 22 "Water from the inverted bottle maintains a constant water level in the cup member 853 in the reservoir 85 of the spraying device, this level being approximately at the end of the inverted bottle neck. The purpose of the ball valve is to close the neck opening of the bottle, particularly when it is being inverted and positioned on the machine. To catch the drip or surplus water sprayed through the opening 8i, there is provided a drip pan 93 secured to the wall 53 adjacent the bottom of the opening and having angled side walls extending upwardly on opposite sides of the opening, the bottom of the flap channel to being closed by a filler plate 9 and the pan 93 being provided with a drain communicating with the conduit 8?, as shown in Fig. 5.

In the operation of the machine, this moistening device directs a fine spray through the opening 3! and against the gummed surfaces of the envelope flaps passing through the flap channel 55, the surplus dropping into the pan 3 and draining into the gravity water supply. A particular advantage of this atomizing type of moistener is that no part of it contacts the gummed surfaces of the envelope flaps; and, for this reason, it is absolutely proof against becoming clogged with the gum as do those devices which moisten such flaps by direct contact.

Sealing device The sealing device S serves to fold the moistened flap upwardly against the body of the envelope and, as shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 8, cmbodies an angled slot 96 cut in the inner portion of the table T the forward edge St of said slot being rolled downwardly, as shown in section in Fig. 8, At the inner forward end of this slot, the flap channel 55 is blocked by a filler 96 (see Figs. 2 and so that, as the envelope flap arrives at the slot 95, the flap is directed into the slot and, by engagement with the roller edge 95 thereof, will, as the envelope is conveyed forwardly by the conveyer, be folded upwardly against the envelope body, thus sealing the envelope.

Envelope-operated control trip As the envelopes are sealed, they are conveyed toward the printing point so as to be positioned upon the platen P of the metering and printing unit M the printing portion of this unit overhanging the table and the platen, as shown in Figs. 1 to 8, so as to print the desired indicia upon each envelope as it is momentarily arrested to receive the impression. As shown in Fig. 2, the inner edge of the table 'I is provided with a notch ea of suflioient size to receive the platen P and, when the unit M is in its proper operating position with its platen thus positioned in said notch, the upper surface of the platen will be substantially flush with the upper surface of the table T or only slightly above such table surface.

In the forward portion of the notch 60 between the platen P and the conveyer C, is positioned the upper end of the envelope-operated trip lever T This trip lever is formed of two parts and comprises a main lever 9! and a terminal finger 97 pivoted thereon and having an ear 9l engaging the forward edge of the main lever to prevent forward rocking of the finger relative to the main lever, a spring W attached to the ear and to the main lever 91 serving to urge the terminal finger Q'l to the extended position shown in Fig. 3. The main lever 97 is pivoted on a bracket 97 secured to the base 58 and has a heel iil' adapted to limit its return movement by engagement with the base. A link 38 connects the main lever 97 with a short arm 98 secured to a clutch control rockshaft 99 which extends into the rear housing R through a bearing 99* carried by the wall use thereof, and a normalizing spring ii'i is attached to the lever 9i and to the machine base 5%.

The purpose of this jointed form of trip lever is to enable the operator, by manual means to be later described, to swing the terminal finger 81 rearwardly until its free end is below the table surface and out of the path of the envelopes, and thus condition the machine for a certain specific use. However, since in the operation of the complete machine, the two-part trip lever operates in the same manner as would a onepiece lever, it will, in the following description, be referred to in that sense as the trip lever T except in connection with the specific description of the manual means which rocks the ter minal finger 97* out of the envelope path.

From an examination of Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be understood that, as an envelope approaches the printing station, its forward or lead edge will engage the trip lever T and rock it forwardly and downwardly to the position shown in dotted lines in that figure, the end of the lever wiping over the lead edge and along the under surface of the envelope which will hold the lever in this tripped position. At this time, the conveyer will have advanced the envelope to the proper position to receive the printed impression, and the rocking of the rockshaft as by this tripping of the trip lever T will have so controlled the clutch mechanism that the conveyer drive is thrown out and the drive to the metering and printer head lVI is thrown in. The envelope is thus momentarily arrested at the print ing position while the printing mechanism operates through a single cycle to print the stamp indicia thereon.

The particular clutch arrangement for accomplishing this, and which will be described in detail in connection with the description of the driving mechanism, is so constructed as to automatically throw in the conveyer drive at the completion of each single printing cycle of the printing mechanism, whereby the envelope, after receiving the printed impression, is conveyed from the printing position to the end of the table, where it is released and ejected from the machine. With the passing of each envelope from the printing position, it wipes over the depressed trip lever, and when the lever is passed by the rear or trailing edge thereof, it is restored by spring Si to normal position ready to be again actuated by the succeeding envelope.

Thus, it will be understood that the machine provides an intermittently driven vacuum conveyer for translating envelopes singly and in succession from a receiving hopper past fiap-moistening and sealing devices to a printing position where each envelope is momentarily arrested to receive a printed impression and is then ejected from the machine.

Driving mechanism The driving mechanism, which is enclosed within the rear housing R and is supported upon the base 5%], preferably includes an electric motor 6% having on its armature shaft a drive pulley Hi6 which is in direct driving connection, through a belt iii'l, with a pulley fixed on a jack-' shaft Hi9. This jack-shaft is journaled in bear ings in the upper ends of opposite standards Hi3 secured to the base Eli, and between these standards and directly below the jack-shaft is the pump P Referring particularly to Fig. 9, it will be seen that this pump is of the reciprocatory type, having a cylinder l l i in which a piston H2 is reciprocated by means of a connecting rod i it and an eccentric M4 on a drive shaft M5. Outside the body of this pump, its drive shaft H5 has fixed thereto a sheave i it connected by a belt i H with similar sheave M8 fixed on the jack-shaft i535 thus providing a direct driving connection by means of which the pump is driven constantly at a uniform speed. The head i it of the pump has an intake port provided with a valve cage l2! containing an intake valve l22 which is of the spring-check type and is arranged to open only during the down or suction stroke of the piston H2. The pump head H9 also has a discharge port l23 provided with a valve cake 524 containing a discharge valve 25 similar in kind to the intake valve E22 but arranged to open only during the up or compression stroke of the piston I 82. The discharge valve cage i2 3 communicates directly with the compressed air line leading to the atomizer of the previously described moistening device M, and the intake valve cage lZl is provided with a T-head, one branch of which communicates directly with the suction conduit $5 leading to the suction or vacuum manifold ai of the previously described conveyor track member 6i and the other branch of which provides a free air inlet 62% open to the atmosphere within the housing R and provided with a regulating valve ill, a cover screen over the inlet I serving to exclude foreign matter from the pump system.

With the motor running, the pump is operated at a relatively high speed to produce a substantially constant and uniform supply of compressed air to operate the atomizer of the moistening device M and to create in the manifold of the conveyer C a substantially constant and uniform suction sufiicient to cause the suction cups thereof to grip and translate the envelopes, the degree of this suction being properly regulated by the valve E2! to allow more or less free air to be drawn into the pump through the inlet i226.

It will, of course, be obvious that various other types of pump could be substituted for the particular single cylinder reciprocatory pump herein disclosed and that, if desired, a separate air com pressor could be provided for the moistening device, and a separate suction pump could be provided for the conveyer, changes of this nature 

